Rear-facing requirements are the strictest — and most varied — part of U.S. car seat law. Some states mandate rear-facing until age 2, others set no rear-facing age in the statute at all. The table below compiles the rear-facing rule for every state from our verified research (October 2026).
| State | Rear-facing requirement |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Infant-only seats and convertible seats used in the rear-facing position until the child is at least 1 year of age or 20 pounds. |
| Alaska | A child less than 1 year of age, or 1 year or older weighing less than 20 pounds, must be secured in a rear-facing child safety seat meeting U.S. DOT standards, used per manufacturer instructions. |
| Arizona | Not specified in statute (orientation not mandated by law). |
| Arkansas | Not specified in statute (orientation not mandated by law). |
| California | Required until age 2, unless the child weighs 40+ lbs or is 40+ inches tall. |
| Colorado | Less than 2 years of age AND weighing less than 40 pounds → properly secured in a rear-facing child restraint system in the rear seat of the vehicle. |
| Connecticut | Under age 2 OR less than 30 pounds (regardless of age) → rear-facing child restraint. If age and weight fall in two different categories, the more restrictive requirement applies. |
| Delaware | Children under age 2 AND under 30 pounds must ride in a rear-facing car seat. |
| Florida | Not mandated by statute; FLHSMV safety guidance states infants less than 1 year old and/or weighing less than 20 pounds must be in a rear-facing child restraint (guidance, not statutory text). |
| Georgia | Under 1 year / less than 20 lbs → rear-facing car seat (per GA DPH guidance card). |
| Hawaii | Children under 2 years of age → properly restrained in a rear-facing car seat with harness. |
| Idaho | Not mandated by statute; Idaho Transportation Dept. recommends rear-facing to 2 years of age or the car seat manufacturer’s max height/weight (recommendation, not law). |
| Illinois | Children must ride in a rear-facing child restraint until at least age 2 (exceptions: child weighs 40+ lbs or is 40+ inches tall, then forward-facing permitted). |
| Indiana | Not specified in statute; Indiana Criminal Justice Institute guidance recommends rear-facing until age 2 (guidance, not law). |
| Iowa | A child under 1 year of age AND weighing less than 20 pounds must be secured in a rear-facing child restraint system per manufacturer instructions. |
| Kansas | Not specified in statute (orientation not mandated by law). |
| Kentucky | Not specified in statute; Kentucky State Police guidance lists rear-facing infant seats from birth to at least 1 year and 20 lbs (guidance, not law). |
| Louisiana | Child younger than 2 years: rear-facing infant or convertible child safety seat. |
| Maine | Child less than 2 years of age: properly secured in a rear-facing child restraint system (or convertible system in the rear-facing position), except if the child exceeds the manufacturer-recommended rear-facing weight/height limit, in which case a forward-facing position is permitted. |
| Maryland | Child under 2 years of age must ride rear-facing (SB 176, effective October 1, 2022). |
| Massachusetts | Not specified on official source — state law requires a federally approved child passenger restraint properly fastened per manufacturer instructions until age 8 or 57 inches; no rear-facing age is codified. |
| Michigan | Infant to 2 years: rear-facing car seat until the child reaches the seat manufacturer’s maximum weight or height, or turns 2. |
| Minnesota | Birth to at least 2 years old: rear-facing in an infant or convertible child safety seat. |
| Mississippi | Not specified on official source — law requires children younger than 4 years to use a safety seat or similar restraint (no rear/forward distinction stated). |
| Missouri | Not specified on official source — the statute requires children less than 4 years of age (regardless of weight) and children weighing less than 40 pounds (regardless of age) to be secured in an appropriate child passenger restraint system. |
| Montana | Children under 2 years of age: rear-facing harness seat. |
| Nebraska | Children must ride rear-facing up to age 2, or until reaching the car seat manufacturer’s upper weight or height limit. |
| Nevada | Child less than 2 years of age: secured in a rear-facing child restraint system in the back seat — with exceptions: the child may ride in the front passenger seat rear-facing if the air bag is deactivated and (1) medical need certified by physician, (2) all back seats are in use by other under-2 children, or (3) the vehicle has no back seats. |
| New Hampshire | Passenger less than 2 years of age: properly fastened and secured by a rear-facing child restraint system meeting safety standards. |
| New Jersey | Not verified against an official source yet. |
| New Mexico | Not specified on official source. |
| New York | Children under the age of 2 must be restrained in a federally approved rear-facing car seat (if the child outgrows the seat’s limits, a convertible/all-in-one seat in rear-facing position is recommended). |
| North Carolina | Not specified on official source. |
| North Dakota | Not specified in state law (Vision Zero ND gives best-practice guidance: rear-facing as long as possible, to manufacturer limits). |
| Ohio | Not specified in state law (law defers to child-restraint manufacturer instructions; no rear/forward orientation split in statute). |
| Oklahoma | Child restraint system must be rear-facing until the child reaches age 2 or the weight/height limit of the rear-facing seat per the manufacturer, whichever occurs first. |
| Oregon | Birth up to at least age 2, in the back seat, until the child reaches the seat’s upper weight/height limit. |
| Pennsylvania | Birth to age 2 — must be secured in a rear-facing car seat. |
| Rhode Island | Birth to at least a minimum of age 2 or at least 30 lbs — rear-facing only and/or convertible car seat (if still under 2 and under 30 lbs, must remain rear-facing). |
| South Carolina | Infants under 2 in a rear-facing car seat in a rear seat of the vehicle until the child exceeds the manufacturer height/weight limit. |
| South Dakota | Not specified in state law (statute only requires a child passenger restraint system per manufacturer instructions; no rear/forward/booster stages). |
| Tennessee | Children under 1 year of age, or any child weighing 20 lbs or less — rear-facing, in the rear seat if available. |
| Texas | Not set in the statute — follow the car seat manufacturer’s instructions (Texas DPS guidance). |
| Utah | Not specified in state law (statute requires an “appropriate child restraint device” used “in the manner prescribed by the manufacturer”; no rear/forward/booster stages). |
| Vermont | Children under age 1 and all children weighing less than 20 lbs (regardless of age) — rear-facing, not installed in front of an active airbag. |
| Virginia | A child restraint device must not be forward-facing until at least (i) the child reaches age 2 or (ii) the child reaches the minimum weight limit for a forward-facing seat per the manufacturer; rear-facing devices must be placed in the back seat. |
| Washington | Children under age 2 in a rear-facing child restraint system until the child reaches the seat’s manufacturer weight/height limit. |
| West Virginia | Not specified in state law (statute requires a “child passenger safety device system” meeting federal standards; no rear/forward/booster stages). |
| Wisconsin | Children under 1 year old or weighing less than 20 lbs — rear-facing child safety seat in the back seat if the vehicle has one. |
| Wyoming | Not specified in current state law — Wyoming’s 2023 bill (SF0019) that would have required rear-facing until age 2 or the manufacturer limit died in the House (last action 2/27/2023); current law is silent on rear-facing as a stage. |
Rules change at every state line — use our free car seat law checker for an instant answer for your child, or browse the 50-state directory.
Informational only — not legal advice. Verify current requirements with your state’s DMV or highway safety office.